Frequently Asked Questions

What Engineering programs does ECU offer?

ECU offers a BS in Engineering with five concentrations: Biomedical Engineering, Bioprocess Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Industrial and Systems Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering. The curriculum is composed of 39 credits of common core engineering courses which provide a foundation of the most important topics for the 21st century. In addition, students take 26 credits of concentration courses that build expertise in the specific descipline areas.

What is special about the ECU engineering curriculum?

At ECU, every engineering faculty member is dedicated to the excellence of our program and the success of our students. Together with our advisory board, we have identified these critical factors which distinguish us from traditional engineering programs and provide a 21st century engineering education focused on student success:

Collaborative learning: The foundation of student success. Beginning with the first semester, students start with the ECU Engineering Learning Community. Freshman students live in a residential setting, study together, and develop friendships, teamwork, collaboration, and group problem solving.

Activity-based learning: Many engineering programs focus on theory with very little hands-on practice. ECU engineering focuses on learning engineering in the context of projects and hands-on activities. ECU engineers are given their first projects as freshmen. Our engineers build on this experience with increasingly demanding projects as they develop engineering expertise. The emphasis on real-world experiences culminates with the senior design project in which students demonstrate skills equivalent to practicing engineers.

Project management and team skills: While technical skills are the foundation for engineering, ECU also develops essential career skills in project management, entrepreneurship, and teamwork. Our graduates know when it is time to lead and follow. As a result, ECU engineering graduates are recruited by employers for their ability to make a difference and contribute to business success.

Focus on undergraduate engineering excellence: Beginning with the first semester of freshman year, students develop close relationships with the engineering faculty. Every ECU engineering faculty member is dedicated to the excellence of our program and the success of our students. All classes and labs are taught by faculty, not graduate students.

How does a BS in Engineering at ECU differ from traditional engineering disciplines?

Traditional engineering disciplines produce engineers who have narrowly defined skills directed on a specific technology area or limited part of a system. ECU engineers possess a broader engineering perspective compared to the specific disciplines and focus more on understanding how to apply this knowledge to solve problems and to improve entire technology systems as opposed to individual components or elements.

What kind of career opportunities are there for ECU Engineers?

The technical knowledge acquired and the analytical thought processes developed in the engineering curriculum supports a wide variety of career options. ECU engineers will be employed in positions ranging from engineering project managers to project designers, design engineers, and technical supervisors or group leaders in consulting, research, or production.

Since the program also emphasizes people and business skills, graduates fill positions as project managers, sales engineers, technical service engineers, and in a range of leadership positions requiring both technical knowledge and the ability to deal effectively with teams of people and complex projects. Entrepreneurial career paths are also possible including consulting engineering firms and new product or service start ups.

The ECU engineering program also provides a foundation for advanced graduate degrees in a range of engineering fields, the practice of law, particularly patent law, biomedical engineering, or medical school.

What are the admission requirements?

Our program is inclusive and has a mission element to serve North Carolina students and employers. Therefore we employ a multi element admissions model which considers SAT scores, high school GPA, position in class, grades in science and mathematics courses and other factors. ECU engineering students typically have SAT scores of approximately 1100, are in the upper 30% of their graduating class, and have an unweighted high school grade point average above 3.0.

Once applicants are accepted into ECU, they must complete an engineering application for admission in order to be accepted into the engineering program.

Are transfer students admitted?

Yes. It is important to contact the Department of Engineering academic advisor for transfer details on particular cases. In general, we have agreements with many North Carolina community colleges involving a range of "pre-engineering" programs and courses.